Ephraim is so close to walking. He has taken three steps (accidentally) but is afraid to stand on his own for more than a few seconds. And he has to be able to reach out and grab me in case he falls. I know that he will be walking before I know it! I’ve tried to catch this momentous occasion on video, but he sits down as soon as I turn on the camera. He seems to be pretty content with crawling as he knows he can book it down the hallway before I’ve even turned to grab him! I guess he just doesn’t want to step out of his comfort zone! But I am eager for him to get on his feet because his poor knees just can’t stand the constant rubbing of the carpet. Still, he seems perfectly content right where he is and just doesn’t want to take that next step – literally!
Watching my son crawl, get on his knees, and then stumble to his feet (only to fall flat on his rear end!) makes me think about my Christian walk. Of course, when I was a new Christian, I was simply crawling along as I learned more about my Savior and the path that He had prepared for me. But as I grew in Christ, He expected me to get out of my comfort zone and on my knees. Only then can I take His hand and stand. After 27 years as a Christian, I shouldn’t be crawling, but I should still be using my knees to get onto my feet!
Any time I get too comfortable in my Christian walk, it’s time to take another step. God doesn’t want us to simply pull ourselves up to a standing position. He wants us to take those steps – no matter how we trip and fall along the way! It’s the only way we can ever truly grow closer to Him!
The part that always brings tears to my eyes is that I’m never walking on my own! Christ is always right there for me to grab His hand when I begin to stumble. And even when I do fall on my own rear end, He lifts me up and stands me back on my feet. I don’t have to crawl down life’s hallway. I can run through life without fear because my Savior is always beside me!
What a wonderful, blessed thought!
“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways” – I Cor. 13:11.
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